Sorenson Admits to Taking ‘Under-the-Table’ Payments, Pleads Guilty

DES MOINES, Iowa — A former state lawmaker accused of accepting payments to change his support to a different presidential candidate in the 2012 election cycle has pleaded guilty to two federal charges.

The Department of Justice says Kent Sorenson, a former Republican state senator, admitted to receiving “under-the-table” payments from Ron Paul’s campaign committee in return for switching his support and services from candidate Michele Bachmann.

The payments totaled about $73,000 and were made monthly in the amount of around $8,000. They were concealed by first sending the money to a film production company, then through another company — and finally was paid out to Sorenson and his wife.

Sorenson pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of causing a federal campaign committee to falsely report its expenditures to the Federal Election Commission and one count of obstruction of justice in connection with the concealed expenditures.

He faces up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. A judge will decide his sentence, but a date for sentencing has not been scheduled.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department says this is an “extremely rare if not unprecedented” case.

Sorenson resigned his Iowa Senate seat on October 2nd after an investigation by an independent counsel for the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee found “probable cause” that his actions in connection with the case had violated Senate rules.

Right Wing Patriot

This where corrupt hypocrtical laws written by corrupt hypocrtical politicians come into play, while bachman may not have violated any laws, but Iowa found her payments to Sorenson to be a violation, prompting his resignation, and proving that the “good christian” bachmann is corrupt and phony as any.

Helen

By the way it needs to be pointed out that corporations, as evidenced so well in this case, are nothing legal shields for criminal sociopaths. The best thing they could do in America is abolish corporations, it would destroy the corrupt power base in business and government.

rickshaftan

pretty simple, you start holding them responsible for their crimes, you start throwing CEOs in prison, you start seizing the companies, make them be honest.

I know people like you might not have the best moral compass but really is this a hard subject, if corporations have the same rights as individuals, then they must be held to the same standards and punishments.

You know, justice?

By the way, I didn’t vote for Obama, is your head box shaped by chance?